It happened in April
by likeavirgin101
Summary: She wears regret on her shoulders like a lead necklace because in times like these, grief becomes an accessory.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing recognizable. The Clique Series is a complete work of Lisi Harrison.**

**Hello Readers!**

**So I know my other story, ****Notorious****, isn't finished but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. It may be overdone but I wanted to give it a go. The next chapter of ****Notorious ****will be up soon. Love you all.**

25 year old Massie Block sat in her brand new Mercedes-Benz and breathed.

She hadn't left the car yet but knew it wouldn't be long before it became completely necessary. Another sharp pain twisted through her causing tears to spring from her eyes. She looked at herself in the rearview mirror. Her face was ashen, her lips dry and cracked, and her eyes sad. Looking out the window, she watched people come and go from the building she was parked in front of.

It was snowing outside and she smiled. Christmas had been yesterday and she had spent the holiday alone. Her friends and family had called, begging her to come home but she complained of work. Kendra had offered to fly up to Boston on the Block private jet, but Massie had insisted that her mother stay with her father in Westchester.

She hadn't been home in seven months.

The last time she had visited Westchester, she'd only seen her parents and Claire mostly because she artfully avoided everyone else. The day she returned to Boston, she'd gotten a dozen voicemails from Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen yelling at her for not coming by to see them. She had gone home for one reason only and in the end, she had psyched herself out and made a split-second decision to not tell anyone.

Another twist of pain made her cry out loud.

Turning off the heat, she pulled her keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car. Trying not to slip on the ice, she trudged slowly in the snow. Immediately, an older man who was returning to his car, moved to hold her arm and help her along.

She smiled at him in thanks.

"Miss, it's too dangerous to be alone in your state." He said watching her cautiously.

"I know but I'll be okay. My husband was caught in traffic. He's on his way as we speak." The lie slipped easily from her lips.

As they entered the emergency room, her heart began to pound. She was so scared.

A nurse, who saw them approaching, moved quickly to fetch a wheelchair and came to her.

"I saw her out there alone and decided to help her. She says her husband is on his way." The man explained to the nurse. Massie was too busy gritting her teeth from the pain to say anything. He leaned down and looked at her worriedly. "Do you need me to stay until your husband comes?"

Massie shook her head fiercely. "No. You're so kind. Thank you but I'll be alright."

The man nodded and wished her luck before leaving.

The nurse asked her loads of questions as she wheeled her further into the hospital.

Were there any preexisting conditions she should know about?

How far along was she?

Was she adamant about calling in her private physician or was she okay with a doctor of the hospital?

Did she know how long it would be until her husband got there?

"He won't be coming. I'm sorry." She said while breathing heavily. "I lied. I'm not married."

The nurse looked at her pityingly and told her it was fine.

"Everything will be alright." The woman assured.

She wheeled her quickly down the hallway and stopped her abruptly in front of her room.

"Here we are, Miss Block." The woman, Nancy, she'd called herself, brought her into the room where she would be having her baby. Nancy helped her get up and stripped her bare before helping her into a hospital gown.

"Just lie down and try to relax. Your doctor will be here shortly."With that, she was gone.

Alone and awaiting the doctor, Massie had time to think about things. Things she really didn't want to think about.

**Nine months ago…**

"_You never really change do you?" She asked him softly._

"_Oh that's not true." He said rolling up the sleeves of his crisp gray button-up. "I change all the time. You're just never here to see it."_

_She chuckled. "I'm sorry to have grown up in a town where everyone expects you to move back and restart your life in the same place you grew up."_

_He watched her as she spoke and his eyes narrowed. "What's so great about Boston anyway?"_

"_Hmmm, I don't know." She said truthfully. "I think taking that short walk out of Cambridge away from the walls of great old Harvard U kept me sane. Cambridge reminded me too much of Westchester. Sometimes you just want to be where you haven't been already."_

"_What's wrong with being here?" His eyes stared at her awaiting an answer. _

"_Nothing. But at the same time, nothing's keeping me here either."_

"_Nothing?" He raised his eyebrows. "Not even the memories and the good ol' times?"_

"_Are you being facetious?"_

_He grinned. Finally he shrugged and answered, "Somewhat."_

_He said nothing for a moment and then, _

"_Not even me?"_

"_Not even you what?"_

"_Not even I keep you here?"_

_She sighed and crossed her arms. "Why should you, Derrick?"_

"_It pains me that you have to ask." His brown eyes were so amused. It annoyed her._

"_You know that I care about you. And despite everything we've been through to get here, you're still one of my best friends. Boston isn't right next door but I'll always be here for you and everyone else when you guys need me. I don't get why all of you are pretending I've abandoned you."_

"_So something does keep you here. Your friends… your family… me…"_

"_Stop talking to me like you're some needy ex-boyfriend."_

"_I am a needy ex-boyfriend."_

"_Not particularly. First and foremost, you're one of my best friends." She reminded him. "Our failed relationship will always come second to that. We shouldn't linger on trivial details. It's tacky."_

"_Of course. How plebeian of me. You know you're really one to talk, Block. I'm not the only one who hasn't changed."_

_Massie laughed at that. "I never said I have. And why should I? I'm perfect."_

_Before she could even register what was happening, he had her backed against a wall. His hands were gripping her face as he breathed directly into her mouth._

_She stopped laughing immediately. "Derrick. Stop it."_

_He said nothing. His fingers slid down and caressed her neck._

"_You don't think I know?" She hissed and struggled against him. "Your mother told me you asked for your grandmother's ring. You're going to propose to her. Your girlfriend, remember? Skye Hamilton."_

"_The other day she kissed me and for some reason I caught a whiff of Chanel Number 19. It's crazy how much you think you've forgotten until you suddenly remember. For a minute I pretended it was you." He leaned closer and brought his mouth to her ear. "I almost came in my pants." He whispered without even the slightest hint of shame._

"_What is wrong with you?" She shoved his chest already aware that it wouldn't do much. "You've been with Skye for three years, Derrick. Just because you smelled my perfume and got horny you somehow think that makes it okay to try this right now? Skye may be a bitch, but I am __**not**__ a whore. Keep your dick in your pants if you know what's good for you."_

"_I don't love her."_

"_Boo_fucking_hoo."_

"_It is __**insanity**__ how much I want you. How much I _always_ want you. You don't even care, do you?"_

"_No."_

"_You're a bitch."_

"_No, Derrick. I am __**the**__ bitch. And don't you forget it. I would do what I say if I were you."_

_He ignored her. "So if I slide my hand between your legs you won't be wet?"_

"_Try to find out and you don't get that hand back."_

_He grinned. "God, I miss you."_

"_I don't know what you're smiling about. I'm serious. And there's nothing to miss. I'm here. Just not like this. Not in this way."_

"_Not enough."_

"_I'm surprised you have time to miss anything with Skye velcroed to your hip."_

"_Let's not talk about Skye."_

_His avoidance of the obvious angered her. She narrowed her eyes. "No. Let's. She's your girlfriend. If you don't love her, why are you with her?"_

_He paused and seemed to think for a bit before settling on,_

"_She cares about me. A lot. And I care about her too. But not a day has gone by that I don't wonder where you are and what you're doing."_

"_That sounds like a personal problem." She scoffed pulling away from him._

_He pulled her in further. "No, __**this**__," he said as he ground his erection into her, "is a personal problem. I need your help solving it, Block."_

_She was proud of herself for not giving away any of the shock she was feeling at this sudden development. She stared blankly at him._

"_So let me humor you since I know you're not moving away until I do so." she sneered, "Let's say we do this. I say yes and you tear my clothes off and we hump like animals in heat. What happens next?"_

"_It's all up to you."_

"_I don't believe you."_

_He leaned in and kissed both her cheeks gently. "After all these years, you should know better. I will always do what you want me to."_

"_Except now when I want you to back away. Am I right?"_

"_Yes. Except now. Not to be dramatic, but I think I might die if I don't kiss you."_

"_I don't care. I don't want you."_

"_You're attracted to me."_

"_I'm attracted to Ashton Kutcher but that doesn't mean I should have sex with him."_

"_I-"_

"_You're pathetic." She interrupted. "Like a child, Derrick. You want to have your own toys and everyone else's. And up until this moment, everyone always let's you get what you want, which for the past three years has been Skye. I'm not going to let you do whatever you like anymore. Grow up."_

_He was silent making her realize that she'd wounded him._

"_You're hurt. But you deserve it. You force me into these positions where I have to be the one to snap you back into reality so that you no longer harbor your misconceptions that the world and everything in it is yours for the taking."_

_She thought he'd back away but instead his right hand moved from her neck down to her clavicle to the center of her chest between her breasts where it stayed._

"_I promised you that what happens after this is all up to you, didn't I? The ball is in your court. I might need someone around to, what was it? __**Snap me back into reality.**__"_

"_It doesn't matter if the ball is in my court if I don't want to play the game."_

"_Well then I'll do what I always do. I'll take what I want."_

_He kissed her and it was all over. She didn't know why she was giving in. He didn't even take her clothes off. They stayed like that, against the wall, with his pants unbuckled and her dress around her waist as he thrust into her without abandon._

_Afterward, before they could even catch their breaths, she pushed him roughly off her. She stormed out of his house and refused to look at him. Not that he stopped her._

_In the car, she cried silently. She thought about her friends and what they'd say if they found out. She thought about Skye, the girl who no doubt was awaiting Derrick's proposal of marriage. She thought of Derrick's eyes darkened with lust as he gripped her hips tightly and rammed into her._

_She had to get out of here. Out of town. Away from the thought of him. Away from the thought of them._

A month later, she'd missed her period and somehow she knew. It was like some higher moral power was punishing her.

And she was right about her instincts. He had not tried to contact her and last she'd heard Skye Hamilton was now sporting a 2.5 million dollar Harrington family heirloom on her ring finger. The wedding date was to be decided.

Derrick Harrington didn't love her. But he would _always_ lust after her.

And that wasn't good enough. Not for a baby.

She didn't know how long she waited but by the time the doctor came in, she was having contractions by the second. The pain was excruciating and she welcomed it. Thinking about that afternoon made her masochistic. On the other hand, she couldn't deny that she couldn't wait to see her little boy's face.

It was a boy. A boy, who might love soccer and have knobby knees, a boy who might grow up to have broad shoulders and a lazy swagger, a boy who would never change but would manage to change some girls life irreversibly without even realizing it.

She thought about telling him. She really did. She imagined the reactions he could've had: happy, angry, scared, disdainful, pitying. The bad one's outweighed the good and she didn't know if she could ever forgive herself if she ever let him get one over on her. If his engagement was anything to go by, she'd say that he didn't care about the consequences of what they did. She was right. He was like a child. He wanted instant gratification without even thinking it through. She was the rational one in their relationship which was why she should have been the one to stop it. But she hadn't. And she didn't even know why. What she felt for Derrick was complicated. Affection mixed with annoyance, love mixed with hate, arousal mixed with disgust. None of her feelings were good grounds for a real boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Why did she do it?

She wasn't in love him. She knew that. She used to be, but you know what they say… Time heals all.

Over time, she got over it. It was something she used to ponder over whenever they had a "moment", but it wasn't anything but a mild flirtation founded on an ever-present attraction to each other. And he was with Skye.

She and Skye Hamilton were no longer enemies. They even used to hang out on occasion when she was back home in Westchester. Truly, she didn't really like the girl much. Skye had a way of twisting everything that could possibly happen into being about her. Massie was self-centered… but she'd never in her life met someone who was as absorbed with themselves as Skye was. She also routinely accused Derrick of cheating on her for no reason. It was obvious that Skye was madly in love with him and would never give him up. What no one was sure of was if Derrick felt the same. He showered her with gifts and stayed with her but no one ever heard of him going out of his way to show her that he was devoted.

Massie was now positive that he didn't feel the same. But he was far too immature and far too lazy to end it with her and that, in itself, made Massie hate him. A man like that shouldn't have a child. She couldn't depend on a man like that. He claimed to care about a lot of things and a lot of people but never hesitated to put what he wanted before them.

And look where it got her.

She was screaming now and over her screams she could hear the doctor telling her that it was time.

The next few hours passed with her sweating and crying and pleading. Everyone was urging her to push and she would until she couldn't and then they would tell her to push more. To push harder. She felt like she was being ripped in half. Wasn't a baby supposed to be something small and innocent? Why was it hurting her? Did it hate her because it would never know its father? She apologized profusely in between her cries. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry." She was sure that the doctor had no idea what she was sorry for but he said nothing but to push harder and breathe.

Finally six hours later at 5:07 PM, he was born.

She named him Oliver Benjamin Block.

-**CLIQUECLIQUECLIQUE-**

**REVIEW! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.**


	2. Chapter 2

**CONSIDER THIS STORY DISCLAIMED.**

**Hello, readers! I got a lot of subscriptions and favorites for this story which I'm glad about. I grinned every time I got a notification. I'm editing the next chapter of ****Notorious****. It'll be up really soon. I promise. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I got a gut feeling and just went with it. Please enjoy! XOXOXO**

To Massie's disappointment, Oliver didn't look like her. She had been praying for at least a mixture of their faces. Maybe her hair or her eyes….

Her little boy had her mouth, a pair of round, red lips that actually made him look like a girl. His hair was blonde, so pale that it was almost white. It would darken as he aged but not much, she could tell. His eyes, when he opened them, were brown. Oliver's eyes were a shade lighter than Derrick's, a golden brown whereas Derrick's were like chocolate. They were the same shape though, wide and puppy-like. She could imagine them crinkling at the corners like his father's did when he laughed. His eyelashes were thick and brown and they rested peacefully on his cheekbones as he slept. He was so light that it surprised her. Her purse alone weighed more.

She knew one thing. If she told his father, Derrick would tell Skye.

Now two things could happen if that were the case:

Skye might leave him and go about slandering the both of them around town. She would say that Derrick was a bastard and that Massie seduced him, that she was still in love with him, maybe even that she'd gotten pregnant on purpose.

However, it was more likely that she wouldn't. Skye loved being a victim, but she'd look even more angelic if she was the victim who stayed in the name of love. She was the one being wronged and Massie was just a whore who'd gone after her fiancé. The same things would be said, but instead Skye would prompt the people of Westchester to say them other than let them escape her innocent lips.

Massie Block didn't have a lot left but she still had her pride and she wasn't going to let anyone take that away from her. If Derrick didn't have the balls to tell Skye what really happened then he deserved what he would get, a life with a girl like Skye, one that never knew of the beautiful baby she held.

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28 year old Massie Block pulled into the driveway of Block estate and sighed. Her parents had wanted to see her about something and begged her to come down to Westchester. She'd had her assistant, Rita, drive down with her just outside of town with Oliver and asked her to spend a few hours with him while she handled some business. She would pray her a half a grand for every hour that she watched him.

Her parents didn't know about Oliver. The guilt of that fact ate away at her every time she visited them but she had this irrational fear that if one person in Westchester knew, everyone would suddenly know. She came down once a month and stayed only for a day, no matter how much her friends and family insisted that one more day wouldn't hurt. They often offered to come visit her but she lied and told them that she was never home and so they shouldn't bother. Last year, she'd almost had a heart attack when Josh and Cam had called her to say that they were in Boston for business and wanted to see her. She'd let them inside of her apartment and gave them a tour. They hadn't noticed that she'd skipped over a room. It was Oliver's room, where he had been taking a nap. She prayed to God silently in her head every second of that visit that he wouldn't cry. He hadn't.

She sometimes saw Derrick in passing but made sure that he never saw her. If she was invited to an event and learned he would be there, she always feigned feeling tired or pretended that there was a crisis at her job. Her father was proud of how hard she worked, her mother worried. She never came to visit on holidays or any significant birthdays. She sent gifts galore and made phone calls instead.

In Boston, she was a junior partner at an architect firm. She'd gotten into architecture her sophomore year of college. She'd only ever been good at math and fashion. This was a combination of both. Designing buildings was not an easy job, but her bosses admired her ability to make a functional yet glamorous blueprint. She'd designed banks, malls, houses, apartment buildings, and office buildings. She made a large amount of money and that, along with her inheritance allowed her and her son to lead every bit the privileged life she had lived in Westchester. She lived in a two-floor loft overlooking the city and she drove a brand new Cadillac Coupe. She'd come a long way from the scared girl in the hospital parking lot.

Her mother asked her often about a boyfriend and Massie lied. She grew accustomed to telling her mom that she went on dates all the time and just hadn't found the right one. In three years, she'd been on two dates. The first guy, Eric, was sweet and handsome and they'd actually hit it off. At the end of the date though, he had admitted that he was not over his ex and that while he did like her, he wasn't ready. She'd accepted his apology completely and moved on. The second guy, Victor, or "Vic" as he liked to be called, was Eric's polar opposite. From the very beginning of the date he had hinted at taking her back to his place. His arrogance and overall sleaziness was a huge turn off. She couldn't even imagine bringing him around Oliver. The date had ended with a few biting words that would have made Claire proud and she'd left deciding that she'd let love happen naturally after that.

Derrick Harrington married Skye Hamilton two months after she gave birth to his son. She was invited to the wedding but she hadn't gone obviously. Cam had married Claire last year and Kristen had married some guy that she met at the gym a couple months after that. She hadn't gone to either wedding and she knew her friends were hurt by that. The first few months after having Oliver, she'd had no contact with Westchester at all until the emails and phone calls started to sound desperate. They wondered if she had died. After that, she made sure to call all the time to let everyone know she was okay.

Derrick had contacted her once. Two nights before he got married, he sent her an email.

**Block,**

**You probably hate me. To be honest I hate myself sometimes. **

**I know that I used to think that what happened that night was something we both wanted, but now I'm not so sure. Did I hurt you? If I did, I'm sorry. So sorry. You said no at first but I thought… Honestly, I have no clue what I thought. If that's the problem, then you really have every right to never want to hear from me again.**

**I'm getting married. I know you know. **

**Every second closer to the altar I wonder if I should call the whole thing off. My dad tells me anxiety is normal. I wish that I could call what I'm feeling anxiety. If you were here, I think I'd know. You always know how I feel before I do.**

**I've forgotten what you look like. I look at pictures but it's not the same thing. I've forgotten the sound of your laugh and the way you walk and the actual color of your eyes. It's like watching a fire, but not knowing what it feels like to be warm. **

**That was cheesy so I hope you're smiling.**

**Block, I'm drowning here and no one even notices. All they ask me is how excited I am and where's the honeymoon going to be. I need someone to ask me if I'm in love her. If this is really what I want.**

**I know I shouldn't ask, but I'm desperate.**

**Can you ask me?**

**When you read this, can you call me and ask me if I love Skye Hamilton? Ask me if I really want to marry her?**

**I need you. **

**X,**

**Derrick.**

She didn't call. Derrick had been 25 years old at the time and still needed her to tell him what the right thing to do was. He thought that his world would end if hedidn't know what he wanted and nobody could fix that problem for him. But there were bigger problems than Derrick and his tortured soul.

Massie had just had his baby.

She knew she was just bitter and resentful. She hated the way he spoke to her, like the two of them were some secret that no one else knew about. Not once as she stood right in front of his face had he ever showed any romantic inclination towards her until the night they'd slept together. It was always, "You're my friend." and "I miss you. Come home more often.", but when Skye was there, it was like she took up all his attention. What was she supposed to think? She'd always thought that Derrick loved Skye whether he wanted to believe it or not. Why he couldn't let go of Massie, was completely unknown to everyone involved. All their friends, even his mother saw how he would sometimes bring up his and Massie's old relationship and make everyone uncomfortable. Massie would laugh it off but it bothered her. She'd always wanted to ask, but his feelings were made clear when he proposed to Skye.

As funny as it sounded, she used to think he still loved her all the way up until **that night**. The night Oliver was conceived. She saw in his eyes how much pleasure he took in the fact that she was giving herself to him. He loved the_ idea_ of them. Massie&Derrick. Dark&Light. Fire&Ice. His body responded automatically to hers and if she hadn't pushed him away, she was sure that he would've kept himself inside of her for as long as he could. Because for some reason, no matter how mean she was to him, Massie made Derrick feel at home. She was only a safety net because Derrick knew that when he gave his life over to another girl, she would expect things from him, something that Massie never did.

Until now.

She expected him to be a man and tell the girl who loved him that he was an asshole who cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend and got her pregnant. She expected him to confront her and learn the responsibility for his actions, not send her some email about how nobody cared about his feelings while he continued to lead his fiancé on. He'd been coddled by everyone because he was Derrick, charming, sweet, and loyal Derrick. But being charming, sweet, and loyal didn't allow you to do whatever you wanted.

Massie sighed at her thoughts about Derrick running on a loop and got out of her car. When the housekeeper opened the door and let her in, she was surprised to see all her friends sitting in the living room. She hadn't seen any cars outside and cursed inwardly at the fact that they might've parked in the garage. Her parents never liked guests to have to park on the street.

"Massie!" The group cried and ran at her with hugs. She recognized Dylan and Alicia's perfume, Claire was holding her the tightest, and Kristen was chattering in her ear. They backed up, when a male voice said something and then Josh, Kemp, Chris, and Cam hugged her. She smiled and waved at Kristen's husband, Luke, and Josh and Kemp's girlfriends, Theresa and Hailey. Luke, Theresa, and Hailey rarely saw her when she visited and they didn't appear to know much about her other than the fact that she was the elusive, whispered about friend of their significant other who, for some reason, hated coming to town.

"Where's my mom and dad?" She asked. "They know that I don't like surprises."

"Upstairs," a voice said, "they'll be down in a minute."

Massie turned around to see Skye Hamilton in all her glory. The blonde girl squealed and lunged at a surprised Massie.

"I'm so happy we tricked you. Every time you're here, you're gone before I can see you." Skye said.

Massie's heart was in her throat, but she managed to fake a laugh. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"I don't know if sorry is good enough, missy. It's literally been _years_. You missed my wedding. I looked fabulous by the way. Have you seen pictures?" She asked.

_And she was back on the Skye Hamilton show_.

"Yeah, Claire showed me. You looked beautiful."

Claire really had sent them to her through email, but she hadn't spared them a glance.

"Derrick's in the bathroom, but he'll be here any sec. He's going to be so happy to see you."

Massie said nothing to that. She felt like she was having a heart attack. Her chest was tight and she didn't think she was breathing.

"Massie, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Chris asked snaking an arm around her.

"I'm just so overwhelmed." She said, tears springing to her eyes.

"Awww, guys. She's crying. We really did surprise her. So this mission was a success." Chris said hugging her tightly again. Everyone grinned excitedly thinking that her eyes were wet because she was happy about their reunion.

They had no idea.

After a minute, she wiped under her eyes and made sure that they were dry. "No, it's alright. I'm fine." She told Chris.

When she pulled away from him, Derrick stood right at the entrance of the room next to her parents.

"Are you mad?" Kendra asked.

Massie shook her head even though she was.

"Come here, honey." Her parents approached her and gave her another hug. "Sweetie, we just thought that you're always so busy with work. You needed to relax and have fun with your friends. They miss you. We all miss you." Her father said. "Your mother and I arranged for them to be here all day. While your mother and I go to a restaurant, Inez is preparing a nice lunch for all of you in the backyard."

"Thanks, dad." She said softly. She was already thinking of excuses to leave.

Her parents stepped away, probably expecting her to run to Derrick, but that didn't happen.

Derrick stared at her, not even attempting to come any closer, and she looked at everyone and smiled as if she were too happy to have noticed him. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work.

"Massie, Derrick, You guys _really _haven't seen other in years, right?" Her mother asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you here, Derrick, any time Massie's in town. You guys just seem to run on opposite paths."

"Yeah." Derrick answered when Massie didn't. "Apparently we do."

The room suddenly seemed to realize that something was wrong when neither of them approached the other.

"Ummm," Claire cleared her throat to help alleviate the awkwardness, "let's go see if Inez is ready with lunch. Mr. and Mrs. Block, your reservation is at three. You should get going."

"That's right, dear." Kendra replied. "William, come on. Good to see you honey." She and her father kissed Massie on the cheek and left.

Outside, as they sat down at the table, the Pretty Committee sent her curious, pointed looks between her and Derrick, who sat at the other end of the table. Skye noticed the weirdness too and looked like she wanted to give Derrick the third degree right there, but luckily said nothing. Derrick's face was hard. He looked annoyed and completely impersonal to all the festivities around him. He answered questions shortly and looked more immersed with his meal than anyone around him. Massie pretended not to notice as she kept the conversation going with Chris and Kemp, the jokesters of the bunch.

A giant elephant sat in the middle of the table that nobody dared to acknowledge. Up until this point, the topic of the animosity between Derrick and Massie had never been brushed. The two had not spoken in years and none of their friends knew why. It was literally impossible to get either of them to talk about something if they didn't want to.

Alicia, the gossip queen, wanted to know more badly than anyone. She could never figure out why two of her closest childhood friends had fought. And when? When was the last time she could remember them acting like friends? She'd always suspected that Derrick was still pining over Massie. But then he married Skye. Derrick was not the kind of guy to do something unless he wanted to.

When lunch was over, Massie announced that she had work to do and had to get back to Boston.

"No!" The group shouted together. "No work." Kristen told her.

"Tell that to my boss."

"You underestimate us, Mass." Cam tsked. "Your parents told us you took the day off. We've got your car keys. They'll be returned at the end of the day and not a minute sooner."

Her mind flashed to her son at the mall with her assistant. "Guys, come on. Give me my keys." She demanded. "I am sorry, but I really need to get going soon. I have a lot of things to handle."

"What could be so important that needs to be handled today?" Alicia questioned exasperatedly. "You owe us this, Massie. This is not how a friendship works. You only ever pop up for a few hours once a month. We miss you."

"I miss you guys too, but I can't change things. My life is in Boston. I can't just up and leave when I'm homesick."

"Are you?"

She jumped at the voice. Derrick was speaking directly to her. He saw the question in her eyes and decided to elaborate. "Are you? Homesick? I don't think you are."

Everyone waited for her answer. She looked him in the eye for the first time since she'd gotten there.

"Of course I am." She answered, all emotion gone from her voice.

Derrick smiled then. He didn't look amused though. "You never change do you? You're still a good liar."

Skye gasped at the rudeness in his tone and Cam's jaw dropped.

Massie looked stricken. She flinched at the familiarity of the question he asked. _You never change do you? _The question that had started the incident she was trying very hard not to think about.

The insulting tone of his voice was what shocked everyone else.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Josh asked. "You were fine earlier."

"I'm fine now. I just don't want to sit here and pretend that Block's still a friend of mine. I don't see her. You guys do, but not much more than a few hours when she feels like it."

"When I feel like it?" She hissed. "I love my parents and my friends, you jerk. I wish I could see them all the time, okay? Now I'm sorry but I have to go." She had a bad feeling about being there all of a sudden. She stood up to leave but Derrick stopped her with his voice.

"And why can't you?" He asked, even colder than before. "Stop insulting our intelligence, Block. There are architect firms in New York not an hour away from here but you chose Boston! You choose Boston! You like being away. You like being missed. You want us all to see how amazing you've become on your own. Well guess what, you're _alone_."

This time everyone gasped.

"Derrick. God, why are you being such an ass? Stop it." Dylan said protectively. Her voice turned pleading as she looked at Massie, "Don't listen to him, Massie. Please just sit. We can sort this out."

Massie laughed through her tears. "You want to know why I'm laughing?" She sniffled. "Because of how wrong you are. You don't know_ anything_. You, Derrick, hide behind your family's company and your big house and your wife and you think that you're happy, but you will never know happiness."

"And you do?" He stood up quickly, knocking over a few glasses. They were ignored. Everyone's attention was on this conversation.

She thought of Oliver. "Yes. My life isn't perfect but my friends and family truly make me happy."

He chuckled and looked at everyone. "Didn't I say she was a good liar?"

Kemp and Josh's girlfriends along with Kristen's husband looked uncomfortable. They felt like they were intruding. They weren't used to Derrick and Massie's arguments.

"And didn't I tell you years ago that you were a child?" She spat.

"Miss Block?" Inez called nervously from inside the house calling everyone's attention. "A woman came by. Rita? She said that there was an emergency and she had to hurry back to Boston. She said she was sorry and left him here."

Massie wanted to scream and tell her to go back inside. Her breath left her body as she caught a flash her son's blonde hair. Oliver stepped around Inez.

Oliver walked outside of the house and up to his mother. He put his arms around her leg. He looked like a mini replica of Derrick. It was more obvious than it had ever been.

"Mommy, Rita hadda go home." The three year old said.

Massie looked from him to all of her friends whose eyes were wider than she'd ever seen them. None of them looked away from the little boy.

Claire stood up first. "Ma-" Her voice broke and she didn't even attempt to finish her thought.

Derrick walked up to her. His face was searching, looking in her eyes for something. A sob broke through her lips and she stood rigidly. She held her son's hand for strength but didn't dare look him in the eyes as he said,

"You are just-you're a-I will never know what I _ever _saw in you, Massie Block."

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW. I LIKE TO KNOW YOU'RE READING!**


	3. Chapter 3

***The Clique is a work of Lisi Harrison and her alone. I own nothing.***

**Hellooooo, readers. Loved your reviews. They made me happy. Keep it up!**

Chapter Three

The group stood inside the Block living room once again but two people were missing. Derrick had stormed out not a minute after Oliver had appeared and Skye had followed. Skye had looked confused and horrified but had said nothing. She was too busy chasing after her husband.

Oliver walked around obliviously and played with a small car he'd pulled out of his pocket.

"How-? Is that-? Derrick-?" Alicia sputtered.

"How old is he?" Cam asked calmly.

"Three. He'll be four soon." Massie whispered. Her eyes were still wet but she was no longer crying. She'd stopped when she saw that her son had looked worried.

"His name?" Josh questioned.

"Oliver."

"And he's… he's Derrick's kid?"

"Yes."

"And Derrick didn't know?"

"No."

"Did anybody know?"

"That I had a son or that it was Derrick's?"

"…..Both." Claire answered.

"Some of my co-workers and my assistant, Rita, know. Not my parents. Until today, nobody knew the father."

"He looks exactly like him, Massie." Dylan said.

"I know."

"I'm freaking out right now." Kristen said, wide eyed. "I can only imagine how Derrick feels. How could you not tell us?"

"Honestly?" Massie said watching the little boy's every move. "I didn't want anyone to be angry with me, or feel sorry for me, or act awkwardly around me. I'm still Massie. I'm still your friend. And I love you all to death but I didn't know if our friendship could withstand this. You would have to take sides. Skye would make me out to be the bad guy and Derrick would stay with her because that's who Derrick is. And he would want to see him and I would have to stay in Westchester so that that was possible. In this town, people would whisper about Oliver, about me. So part of it was a selfish decision and I admit that but I don't take it back."

"Were you and Derrick… seeing each other?" Kemp asked uncomfortably. "While he was with Skye?"

She shook her head. "We slept together once."

Everyone seemed to be waiting for an explanation so she continued, "I didn't even want it to happen….." She whispered.

After seeing their faces, she rushed to clarify, "He didn't force me. Don't get me wrong. But it was a mistake. We were talking and all of a sudden I- He wouldn't- I told him that I knew he was going to propose but he wanted me to hear him out. Somehow, it just… happened. I know that sounds stupid but it's true. I found out I was pregnant a month later. I came back to Westchester to tell him, but I knew that he was still with Skye. I only spoke to you, Claire, before I left." She addressed the girl. "You asked me what was wrong. That was the first time I lied about it. I've lied to everyone I care about for three years and now it's caught up with me."

"So that's why you're never home. Why you wanted to leave so soon." Josh stated. His face showed that Massie's behavior over the past few years finally made sense to him.

"Yes."

"So that's why you were so mad at him for all these years." Dylan said. "… But if Derrick didn't know about Oliver then why was he mad at you?"

"It's complicated." She answered.

Her friends' expressions told her that that answer wasn't going to be good enough.

"He emailed me once," She told them, "right before he got married. He wanted to talk to me. I never answered."

"Do you both have, like," Kemp asked hesitantly, "feelings for each other?"

"No." Massie shook her head vehemently. "What we did was stupid and rash. It wasn't something anticipated. Even if that were true, whatever feelings I used to have for Derrick are over. He loves Skye and I love my son."

When no one said anything, Massie looked at them. "Are you mad?" She thought of her mother asking that same question after surprising Massie a while ago. Her poor, clueless mother who would probably have a heart attack when she discovered her daughter's secret.

Not one of them answered for a long time and that was an answer enough.

"I'm sad that you had a baby and I wasn't there. Sad that you never told us. But not mad." Claire responded.

"Yeah." Kristen said softly, "I agree. We don't hate you, Mass. We could never. It's just… you lied. To everyone. To me."

"Honestly," Dylan broke in, "we're all upset but the only person that has a right to be mad is Derrick."

"And Skye." Massie reminded.

"And Skye." Alicia agreed.

"Where do you think he is right now?" She asked.

"Somewhere having a huge argument with her." Chris answered. "I mean, jeez, imagine him having to explain this now."

"I never wanted any of this to happen."

"It doesn't matter." Kemp spoke. "You and Derrick made a choice and this little boy was the product of that. Whether Derrick was involved shouldn't have been your sole decision to make. I love you Massie, like my own family, but what you did was completely wrong. He missed everything. The kid's birth… his birthdays… his first step… his first word…"

"I know." She covered her mouth to suppress a sob from escaping. She hated when people saw her cry. "The guilt. That was the worst. Not having a baby alone. Not raising a baby alone. Just the guilt. Every time I saw one of you and had to lie about what was going on in my life, every time my mother joked about spoiling her grandchildren in the future, every time one of you told me a story about Derrick or Skye… you cannot _imagine_ how much I wanted that for him. I wanted him to have a dad who he saw all the time, and aunts and uncles, and visits with grandma and grandpa. It's just… I kept it a secret for nine months and then he was born and I waited another week and then it became two and then six months passed and the longer I kept it a secret, the worse the lies I told became."

"I'm going to be honest, Mass. It's hard to feel sorry for you when I put myself in Derrick's shoes. We would've been here for you. Derrick would've been here for you." Josh told her.

"I neither want nor expect your pity." Massie replied. "And I don't expect you to understand. When I found out I was pregnant, the relationship I had with Derrick was on a downward spiral and he was preparing to ask Skye to marry him. I felt I had no other choice. You may not ever agree with what I did, but that doesn't change what I did to him or what he did to me. It especially doesn't change how we're all feeling right now."

"You should go talk to him." Alicia said.

"Not now. He needs to cool off." Claire replied.

"Chances are, he never will. He probably has a lot of questions he wants answered." Dylan said.

"What if he's talking to Skye?" She questioned.

"Good." Kristen said sharply. "Then maybe the three of you can figure out how the hell this happened. Massie, the time for hiding is over, honey. You told us that Derrick initiated sleeping with you. Their marriage has been based of a lie then. You need to talk to her and to him."

Massie pondered her words for a second and then whispered, "Can you guys watch Oliver?"

"Yes, of course," Theresa, Josh's wife, spoke up for the first time. She smiled at Oliver. "I'm a daycare teacher."

"Thank you." She said. She crouched down to her son's height. "Oliver, sweetie, look at mommy," she was aware that her friends watched her act mom-like with fascination, "I have to go see someone. I'll be back soon but you're going to stay here with mommy's friends. They're all nice people. You can play and watch TV. If you're good, we'll go get ice cream."

"Ice Cweam?" Her son asked with a childlike slur.

"Mmmhmm." She kissed his forehead.

"Bye, baby."

"Bye mommy."

She sighed, looked at her friends, who all gave her encouraging looks, and grabbed her keys from Cam's hands before heading out.

Driving to the Harrington household was the scariest thing she had done since giving birth. She got there in less than 15 minutes, only mixing up the directions once.

Their car was parked out front and the front door was wide open. She considered leaving, realizing that it had to have been pretty bad if they hadn't even remembered to close the front door but then she remembered Kristen's words. _The time for hiding is over, honey. _She should just get all the yelling and crying over with today.

Massie got out of the car and walked to the door. The last time she'd been here, she ran out crying and pregnant, though unaware of the latter. She knocked and rang the doorbell. She thought about leaving again, but then she heard glass shattering and a door slam upstairs. Suddenly, there was Derrick thundering down the stairs. His clothes looked ruffled and his eyes were dark with anger. And then he noticed her.

He threw her his keys. "Get in my car. Now."

She turned around and did as he said. She got into the driver's side and waited. A few minutes later he came out and knocked on the driver's window.

"You're not thinking straight. You need to calm down. I'll drive."

He looked even angrier but got in the car on the other side, slamming the door. As she pulled out of the driveway, she noticed the curtain pull back upstairs and Skye watch them. Guilt flooded through her chest but she quashed it and asked, "Where to?"

"I don't care."

She drove them to the edge of town. There was a clearing in the woods that she and the PC used to come to when they needed absolute privacy and stopped the car. She got out without saying anything and stood there. He stayed in the car for a bit and she watched him. His head was in his hands and he didn't move and inch from where he sat.

She swallowed nervously and jangled the car keys against her leg and looked at the trees surrounding them to distract herself. Finally, she stopped and stuffed them in her pocket. Eventually, Derrick got out and stood before her, tall and angry.

She had several faulty starts but decided on saying, "I'm sorry that this happened. I didn't want to disrupt anyone's lives. You were never supposed to know." Her eyes flickered from him to the ground ever so often.

Derrick's brown eyes watched her without blinking. The look he gave her was fierce enough to make her want to get back in the car. "You're sorry this happened?" He laughed incredulously. "You're_ sorry _that this _happened_? You're s- Massie, you had my child and never told me! You lied to everyone, especially me, for three goddamn years and you still have the nerve to stand there with that holier-than-thou look on your face and tell me that you're sorry that I found out!"

"I don't have a look on my face, Derrick. I'm just trying to be honest here. Let's be rational."

"I'm the rational one! I'm not the one who lied about having a baby! I'm not the one who went out of my way to fool everyone into thinking that I was a good person! Because you aren't, Block." His finger jabbed in the air, pointing at her harshly. "You're a despicable person who deserves everything you love to be ripped away from you."

For some reason, that got to her. She felt the rage she'd been keeping inside all these years start to rise.

"Why?" She shouted back. "Why should what I love be taken away from me? What about you? Don't you think you deserve to lose something? Or better yet, tell me this, Derrick. Do you even love Skye yet? Or are you still waiting on me to give you the answer?"

He had nothing to say to that.

"Last time we talked you didn't even think you did! You sent me an email begging me to tell you what you already know, that you're incapable of feeling anything. When we were together, I loved you and we ended because it wasn't enough. _Skye _loved you and it wasn't enough, but unlike me she's too in love to leave you. You liked that I pushed you away. That's the only reason you wanted me that night. You don't know what you want and you used to think you needed me to realize it."

"What does this have to do with anything?" He roared. His deep voice boomed leaving an echo.

"This has to do with everything!" She screamed back. "You weren't ready to be a father. I don't even know if you are now."

"And what right do you have to say so, huh? It didn't matter if I wasn't ready to be a father. I WAS! The minute you had that baby I was a father and you took away my chance to prove myself to my… my son." His voice cracked on that last word. He looked so sad and it brought tears to her eyes.

"What did you want me to do?" She whimpered surrendering her arms out to his anger. "You were getting married and you didn't tell her. What was I supposed to think? You never even called. I was done with you. You were done with me. End of story."

"No. Not end of story. You were pregnant and it was mine. The story was nowhere near done."

"Well I didn't tell you. I can't change that."

"Yeah, but I can still be angry!" He fumed. "I can still yell! I can still** hate** you."

"Yeah, hate me all you want but you don't get to bring your anger around my son."

"OUR Son!" He raged. "Our son, Massie! You better get used to saying it. He's my son too! And I swear if you try to keep him from me, you self-righteous bitch, I will take you to court and get the judge to give him to me. And I won't be coming for partial custody, Block. You'll never see him again."

"Shut up."

"No. You know they'll give him to me." He sneered cruelly. "I make more money. I work less hours. I have a stable marriage."

"A stable marriage?" She laughed incredulously. Her eyes were more fiery than they'd been just a second ago and her next words sought to wound him. "You used to have a stable marriage, Derrick. But not anymore, you son of a bitch. Not after I tell her the real story, about how you moaned in my ear that she'd _never_ be me as you fucked me against a wall in the house she currently lives in."

He face dropped and he stepped back as if she'd pushed him, but just as quickly his face was just as angry as it had been before. If anything, even more so.

"Oh yeah? How about the fact that you're a workaholic! Look at yourself," he pointed at her in disgust, "you're underweight, your eyes are sunken in, and you drink wine like its water. Anybody with eyes can rule you an unfit mother. I've got the best lawyers in New York State, sweetheart, so try me."

"You asshole!'" She shoved him. "You dare to stand there and look down on me? My eyes are sunken in because I'm tired. I work twelve hours only to come home to cook and watch a three year old. And yeah I may skip meals sometimes but that is solely because I'm overworked. And you're going to call me an alcoholic? I had two glasses of wine! Would you sink so low that you'd make a false claim?"

"I'll do whatever it takes."

"If anyone's an alcoholic it's you. You think I don't smell the liquor on your breath?"

"I'm sorry, I think finding out about my _illegitimate son_ merits the right to have a fucking drink!"

"I don't care about what you do or when you do it, but keep Oliver out of this. You try to take him away from me and I'll kill you. I swear it." Her voice was desperate and she knew he believed her.

Derrick's face dropped and the anger melted from his face.

"Oliver?" His eyes looked glazed. She realized then that he hadn't known the name of the little boy who had looked just like him. He'd stormed out of the house before she could say a word. "Oliver Harrington." He whispered trying the name on his lips.

"No. Oliver Block. Oliver Benjamin Block. _My _son." She corrected.

His face hardened and he looked at her with more hate than she ever thought possible. "You couldn't even give him my name?"

Massie looked away. "You two were never supposed to meet. I didn't want him to ask questions when he grew old enough. A Block he was and a Block he'd stay."

"Well guess what?" He snarled. "I did meet him. And when I get custody, that's the first thing me and you are getting changed."

She shook her head. "No, we're not."

"Yes, we are." He insisted. "You owe me that much!"

"I owe you nothing!"

He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her to him. "You owe me three years!"

"Let go!" She pulled her arm back and before she knew what she was doing, she hit him forcefully in the nose.

He hissed from the pain and his eyes frightened her.

Suddenly she saw his palm fly at her face.

_WHACK!_

The smack shocked the both of them. His palm was so large that it got her all the way from her temple to her chin. Massie's neck hurt from being whipped so far to the right and her teeth had sliced her lip and the inside of her cheek. The skin on her face burned and she could taste blood.

She looked at him with eyes were wide and began to cry. "He looks _just _like you." She whispered and dropped to the ground. "Isn't that enough?" She sobbed and asked again in a broken voice, "Isn't that enough?"

"Massie," His eyes were wide. He looked more in pain then she was. "Oh my God," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She didn't answer. He dropped to the ground next to her and held her in his arms. She didn't respond but she didn't push him away.

Together, they cried.

Together they silently apologized to each other for everything they had ever done wrong.

**CLIQUECLIQUECLIQUECLIQUE**

**That was intense. But it's 'go big or go home' with me. REVIEW, BITCHES.**


	4. Chapter 4

***The Clique Series is a work of Lisi Harrison. I own nothing.***

**Hey, readers. **

**So I didn't update as quick as I wanted to on either of my stories, but honestly, this past year has probably been the hardest time I can ever recall having to endure. So many good and bad things have happened to me and I'm still trying to figure out whether the positive outweighs the negative. I'll be graduating in a few months and while that used to comfort me, it now terrifies me. I have made so many friends that I don't want to lose. They've literally become my family and I know that my time with many of them is almost up. I know you don't care really and that's understandable. I offered you a story and it's my responsibility to keep it up.**

**I hope you keep reading.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter guys and review. **

**Love always…. XOXOXOXO**

Derrick and Massie sat in his Audi and waited for the light to turn green.

Not a word was said and neither of them sought to change the fact.

Derrick's face was pale and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. The dried blood under his nose was smudged where he had sloppily wiped it away after Massie had hit him.

There was no doubt that he looked worse for the wear. But it paled in comparison to the girl next to him, whose face had begun to lightly swell. She held a tissue to her split bottom lip and her skin was red and pulsing, sure to become a nasty bruise by tomorrow morning.

They were both in pain, but not for the most obvious reasons. They both felt heavy with guilt, he for laying his hands on a woman he once believed his life began and ended with, and she, for not only lying, but for being the one to throw the first punch. She knew that when they got back to her house, the other guys wouldn't hesitate to knock Derrick flat on his ass after seeing what he'd done. She didn't want that to happen.

It was her fault.

**Everything** was her fault.

Or at least it seemed that way.

The light finally turned green and Massie was surprised to see Derrick turn into a parking lot. She realized right away that he was stopping at the pharmacy.

When he was parked, he took the keys out of the ignition and paused before speaking. His voice was barely above a whisper, but in the silence of the car it sounded shockingly loud, "I'm, uh, going to get an icepack and some aspirin for your face. Do you want anything else?" He didn't look at her as he spoke and she watched his profile carefully before shaking her head.

He nodded and left the car. Massie watched him walk inside and realized that Oliver kind of walked like him. She suddenly wished she was back at home in Boston cuddling with Ollie on the couch watching one of his cartoons and having tickle fights.

She wished she'd never come to Westchester.

She wished her son was still her secret, hers to adore and care for all on her own.

She wished she could turn everything back to the way it was just 24 hours ago.

She wished a lot of things.

Flipping open the sun visor in the car, Massie looked in the mirror and grimaced at her appearance. Her face looked a lot worse than it felt really. Her lip probably hurt the most. The rest was a minor discomfort.

Sighing softly, she shut the mirror and leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes. She must have dozed off because she startled when Derrick opened the door. He got inside the car and wordlessly handed her the bag. She looked inside and immediately grabbed the bottle of water and aspirin. She needed it. Not for her face, but for her raging headache.

She opened her purse which lay in her lap and took out a makeup compact ready to undo some of the damage on her face.

He looked at her. His eyes were red. She wondered briefly if he had cried. "Don't even bother. The guys are going to beat the crap out of me anyway."

"It wasn't your fault." Massie said. "You were angry and I hit you first. I shouldn't have."

"It was my fault." Derrick replied. "And the details don't matter. You're a woman. Hitting you is never alright. If it were any of the guys who did something like this I would do the same."

"I'll defend you."

"I won't even defend myself. I can't believe I did that." He looked really bothered by how far their argument had gone. His hands were white from his tight grip the steering wheel as if he were afraid of what they were capable of.

Truthfully, Massie had suspected that things would get out of control. That's why she'd chosen a secluded spot. She didn't want anyone interrupting them while they screamed at the top of their lungs. She hadn't expected physical violence, per se, but as soon as he'd stepped out of the car, trembling with hate, she'd known that it wasn't improbable.

"Yeah well," Massie said looking in the mirror again as she applied cover up, "hating yourself isn't going to change anything. Believe me. I know all about self-loathing."

Derrick was quiet for a while, but he spoke up minutes later, "Why is that? Did you hate yourself after we did what we did?"

This caused Massie's hands to still where she had been lightly dabbing her eye with makeup.

When she didn't answer, Derrick pulled the car over again, this time on the side of the road. He sat there and waited for an answer, his eyes trained outside of his window.

"Didn't you?" She settled on asking finally.

He chuckled and she couldn't see his expression as he was turned away from her. "Yes. But not for the reasons you'd think."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that all these years I knew that what happened that night wasn't only me. When you left without so much as a word, I panicked. I thought that maybe I'd forced you and was too in the moment to realize that you didn't want it. But every night since then, I'd think about it and I'd remember. I'd focus on every single detail of being with you. And for that short period of time, you wanted me. Maybe not as much as I wanted you, but you did." He looked at her then. "And that was enough for me to not regret it."

Massie stiffened. "Even now?" She said with more annoyance than anger. "Even with your reputation on the line and your marriage in shambles? Even with the weight of a child on your conscience, a child conceived purely out of stupidity and lust?"

He looked away again. "I don't know."

"Exactly. You don't know anything." She spat returning to the mirror to apply her makeup. "So the answer to your question is yes. I did hate myself after what we did. Some days I still do. My poor judgement did give me a son, yes, but a son who deserves more than I've given him."

"And whose fault is that?" He growled. "If you thought that little boy deserved a father then why didn't you give him one? Why did you keep him from me? I take full responsibility for causing the conflict, but not for the problems that came with it. That's all on you, sweetheart."

Massie gave up on her face and shut her compact and the mirror. "I found out I was pregnant no more than 48 hours after I'd heard the announcement of your engagement. If you still can't manage to figure out what was going through my head when I lied to everyone, then you're not as smart as I thought you were. And should I have been the one to approach you, Derrick? Really? You never even tried to ask me how I felt about the whole situation-"

"I wrote you an email asking you to talk to me." He protested.

"No. You wrote me an email about you!" She shouted. "About _your_ feelings and what _you_ thought and what _you_ were going through. I mean, my God, Derrick, did you really think that was enough? A lousy email. Sent the night before you fucking married the girl you cheated on with me. You made me feel dirty and used." The lump in her throat refused to go away as she croaked out her feelings and held back her tears.

"I-" he croaked, "I never intended on things turning out the way they did. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that you wanted space."

"I don't know what I wanted. But what you gave me wasn't it." Massie replied not with anger, but with honesty. "And I hated you for it. You got to move on and have the life you always wanted for yourself and I had to hide a major part of mine. I had to act like it didn't kill me that I had to stare into the face of a little boy who looked exactly you. But I got used to my life and I grew to love it. And I'm sorry if you think I'm cold and unfeeling to the fact that you're hurting, but that's entirely untrue. I'm just… scared that everyone in this town is going to take away the peace I've finally allowed myself to have."

"I won't." He said softly. For once, the tension in his body seemed to be gone completely. There was no anger or sadness… only determination. Massie knew by the way he said it that he was going to do whatever it took to make this work. "I just want to know my son. And raise him. Have him look at me with the adoration I saw him give you. Please, Massie. I'm begging you. Give me that. I won't let you down."

Massie stared at his face, looking out onto the road nervously. His hands wriggled in his lap and his knees bobbed up and down. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see him."

~Clique~

When they got out of Derrick's car in front of Massie's house, they looked at each other.

"Let's go." Derrick said. His shoulders were stiff as if waiting for the blows that would surely come.

Massie had already made up a lie about what happened to her face. She didn't tell Derrick because he would be completely against it, but she didn't plan on letting their friends know anything of what happened an hour ago in the woods.

When they got inside, everyone looked at them. One look at Massie's face and Josh had lunged at Derrick. Massie threw herself in front of him, letting out a small 'oof' as Josh knocked into her while she pushed him back.

"Josh, stop!" Massie cried. "Derrick didn't do it."

"What?" He reeled back.

"I was crying and almost got into an accident. I hit my face on the do-"

"She's lying." Derrick whispered. His eyes were shamefully averted to the floor. "We were arguing and things got out of hand."

"You son of a bitch!" Cam shouted. "I told you guys that Claire was right and we shouldn't have let her go off with him alone."

"He didn't mean to." Massie defended.

"Do you hear yourself?" Alicia asked holding Massie's face gingerly. "Oh my Gawd, Massie. This is not okay! You hit her?" She looked at Derrick angrily.

"Can everyone calm down?" Massie said with frustration. "I don't want any of you to make this more than it is. He was already mad and I pushed. I hit him first. Him hitting me was just a reflex."

"I don't care. Get out." Claire said to Derrick.

"Claire, no." Massie responded immediately. "This is all getting out of hand. I need you guys to listen to me. Leave it alone. Where's Oliver?" She looked at Derrick. "I want Derrick to meet him." This was her peace offering. She couldn't give him the first three years he'd missed but she could give him now.

The group hesitated, not wanting to tell her before the situation with Derrick was handled, but with one heated look from Massie, she got an answer.

"He's upstairs with Theresa. He spilled something on his vest and Inez put it in the wash for him."

"Okay." Massie nodded. She went though her purse and looked for a mirror to make sure her hair was covering most of the bruise on her face. She didn't want Oliver to ask questions. "Let's go." She led Derrick up the stairs. They found him quickly. Theresa looked at her worriedly when she noticed them. She realized that both she and Derrick were not looking their best with their wrinkled clothing and her bleeding lip. She smiled and thanked the girl, who realized that this was a monumental moment and left them to themselves.

Oliver grinned at her, revealing his tiny, barely-there teeth. "Mommy."

"Hey, big guy. There's someone here who wants to meet you."

The little boy looked at Derrick but said nothing.

"Hi, Oliver. My name is Derrick." Derrick said, not making an attempt to move any closer. He watched the small boy closely though with a new light in his eyes that was not there just a moment ago.

The boy still only watched him wordlessly.

"He's not used to you." Massie explained. "Once as he knows you, he'll be more open. Oliver did you have fun today?"

He nodded. "I godda ball and played wiff Cam and Kent."

"Don't you mean Kemp?" Derrick smiled.

He shook his head. "No. Kent. Are you mommy's friend?"

"I am."

"What do I call you?"

"He told you his name already, silly. It's Derrick." Massie answered. "Oliver, you have to understand something though. Derrick's not just my friend." She leaned down and took both of his tiny hands into her own. "He's your daddy."

Derrick's breath caught in his throat at that admission. He'd thought that they would gradually get to the point where he could call Derrick any sort of paternal name, but Block didn't seem to think so.

Again, Oliver didn't answer. He was shy.

"You asked me the other day when you came back from Miss Bee's. You said your friend, Kyle, had a daddy and you asked me where yours was. This is him, Ollie. Do you think you want to call Derrick daddy?"

Oliver nodded shyly and looked at Derrick from beneath his lashes.

"Do you want to give daddy a hug?"

He nodded again.

Derrick leaned down and picked him up. He hugged the boy tightly and watched Massie over his shoulder. His eyes grew wet and he mouthed, 'Thank you' to her. She nodded in reply.

"Hey, buddy," Derrick sniffled wiping his eyes as he set him down on his feet. His voice was hoarse and tired but the amazement in his gaze watching the little boy made up for it. "I've been busy doing things and I never had the time to see you, but that's over now. I'm going to come by to see you and your mommy all the time now. I think we should do some fun things together so that we can get to know some more about each other. Sound good?"

Oliver looked up at his mother who was looking away and wiping her wet eyes. Finally, he turned back to Derrick. "Yes… I wanna watch TV now."

"TV? Sure. Come on." He held out his hand which Oliver grabbed and together, they began the walk down the stairs. Derrick waited patiently as the boy took his time to get down each step. The group watched Derrick watch his son as if he'd never seen a child before.

Dylan couldn't help it. She saw how happy Derrick looked, something that was so rare. What was even more rare was that Massie was in Westchester and seemed to be making no immediate plans to leave like she always did. For the first time in many years, the gang was all there; not as she'd originally pictured it, but no less perfect. She covered her mouth and started to cry.

~Clique~

Massie's parents got home a little earlier then they said they would and were surprised to see everyone sitting in their living room talking quietly instead of out on the town having fun. They failed to notice the looks on everyone's faces.

"Oh, goody," Kendra beamed, "you're all still here. I take it that you had a good t-"

"Massie," William Block cut in, "what happened to your face?"

Kendra then looked at her daughter and gasped. "Honey?"

Derrick stood from the couch where he sat and looked ready to confess.

Massie, however, broke in before he could speak.

"Derrick and I got into a small accident today." She lied easily. "We were in my car and I slammed on the brakes too hard. Unfortunately, our faces got the brunt of the force."

"Thank God it was only that." Alicia said playing along.

Massie sent Alicia a thankful look and sent the rest of the group a look clearly telling them to keep their mouths shut. Her friends knew Derrick and they could forgive him for what had occurred that afternoon between him and Massie, but her parents never would. And especially not after they discovered the secret Massie had kept from them.

Her parents looked seriously worried and proceeded to ask a series of questions that they tried to answer as smartly as possible.

"Derrick," her father said good-naturedly observing the purplish color around his nose, "that looks like quite a bruise. You two are okay, aren't you? I hope that you two made sure to call your insurance companies. Was anyone else on the road the cause of the accident?"

"No." Massie said softly. "We were just upset and not paying attention to the road." She knew the time was coming for everything to come out once and for all.

"Is everything alright? You all look a little shaken." Her mother asked trying not to be too imposing, but still curious.

"You know guys," Claire said loudly, "I think it's getting kind of late. We should all probably get going."

Everyone readily agreed and got up to go.

Massie glanced at her father and he seemed to realize just then that something was wrong. He looked at Massie. She held his gaze and already wanted to shrink into herself. She hugged her friends, who thanked her parents and left, leaving her and Derrick standing with her parents in the living room.

As soon as the front door shut, her father spoke.

"What is going on here?" He asked. His easy manner was gone and he now looked serious. "Derrick, where's Skye?"

Derrick swallowed and looked her father in the eyes. "At home, sir."

"Well why aren't you with her?" Her mother asked, setting her clutch down on the table.

"Skye and I are sort of going through a rough patch right now, Mrs. Block. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if she's packed her bags and left by now."

"But," Kendra's eyes flickered to Massie nervously, "it was only yesterday that I saw you two. You were fine."

Derrick couldn't figure out what to say to that so Massie intervened.

"Mom, Dad, if you could just sit down and listen to what we have to say."

Kendra sat down, but her father stood rigidly in his spot.

"I'll stand thank you." He said tersely. "Whatever you have to say, I'm strong enough to handle."

"Okay well…" Massie glanced at Derrick who seemed to freeze on her.

"Listen," her mother said in a low voice, "if this is what I think it's about, you need to end it. Now. Derrick, you have a wife at home who loves you. I don't know exactly what is going on between you and my daughter, but you have obligations. I think it'd be best for everyone involved to keep their reputations intact and end whatever affair is happening immediately."

"Mother, we're not having an affair." Massie replied.

Neither she nor Derrick missed the looks of relief on her parents' face. Oh boy.

"Hold on one second, please. Just wait here." Massie said softly and went upstairs to her room where she'd left her son sleeping soundly on the bed.

She found him lying there peacefully. His rosy cheeks looked so soft and she brushed a finger lightly across his face before lifting his body into her arms. His head lulled to the side before she moved it to lie comfortably on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she kissed her son's head and began to walk down the stairs.

She found her parents sitting in tense silence with Derrick, who looked scared out of his mind. The severity of the situation appeared to be hitting him as he realized that people would now have to be informed of the child Massie had carried by him. The room felt so small to him suddenly.

When they saw her, Kendra and William's eyes bugged out of their heads.

"Mom and Dad, this is…," she took a deep breath, "This is Oliver. Oliver Block."

When they said nothing, Derrick decided to speak up. "Soon to be Oliver Harrington. This is our son."

Massie felt shivers up her spine at the silence in the room. She didn't dare glance at Derrick.

"Oh my God." Her mother whispered. Her lips were trembling as she stared at the little boy.

Her father, for once, was actually speechless. He looked like a fish out of water with his mouth sputtering for the right words. Finally, he got out the one word, "Explain."

Massie was surprised when Derrick responded to her father's demand. "A few years ago, around the same time I proposed to Skye, Massie and I, we… slept together. I was unfaithful to my then girlfriend and I got Massie pregnant. Needless to say, what Massie and I did effectively destroyed our friendship and we completely broke off ties with one another. I stupidly asked Skye to marry me and Massie, understandably, felt that she couldn't tell me that she was pregnant. She had the baby in Boston and I married Skye. And today, we all discovered that she'd been keeping something from us. I have a son. _**We**_have a son." He nodded to the little boy in Massie's arms.

Massie could hear her mother's sobs but couldn't bear to look at her mother and father. She could feel the weight of her guilt squeezing her heart into a knot.

"I'm sorry." Massie said, her voice wobbly with emotion, trying to speak over her mother's cries. "I am so unbelievably sorry. I understand if you no longer want me here. I have lied to you both for a very, _very_ long time and I don't expect an ounce of your sympathy. Mom," she said with tear-filled eyes, "I know how much you want grandkids and I can't imagine what you're thinking right now. I kept him from you. I kept him from his father. From everyone. It was wrong. And selfish. And I'm starting to see that now. But don't take this out on him. I'd still very much like for you to know each other if that's alright with you."

Her father smoothed a hand over his pronounced jaw and shut his eyes. "I don't know what you expect to hear from us right now."

Massie opened her mouth to say something, but he wasn't finished.

"I mean, you're distant and secretive for three years without any explanation. We figured you were keeping something from us and we waited to for you to come clean on your own terms. We figured it was a man in your life you were afraid to let us meet and we were fine with that. But all this time, you had a child. A child, Massie. With a married man. I just…. It's like I don't even know who you are anymore."

That broke Massie's heart. "I'm still me." She whispered. "I'm still your daughter. I just also happen to be a mother."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kendra voiced suddenly. "D-did you think we were going to turn our backs on you? How could you do such a thing, Massie? How could you keep a child from us? From me? I always thought we were closer than that. I told you since you were a child that you could tell me anything." Her amber eyes were glowing like Massie's often did when her emotions were out of whack. Still, she sat with perfect posture and her skirt smoothed down neatly.

"I know," Massie said. "But I was young, mom. I had just started my life and I already screwed up. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

Kendra stood and wiped her nose daintily with a handkerchief. "I could never."

Massie's eyes averted to the floor.

"And you?" Her father voiced suddenly to Derrick. "You have nothing to say?"

Derrick looked uncomfortable but stood his ground. "Massie and I both screwed up. It's impossible to fix it now, but honestly, I think apology time is over. Your daughter and I have already taken responsibility for our mistakes. Now all I want is what's best for Oliver. I'm willing to make it up to him more than anyone."

At the little boy's name, Kendra stepped closer and Massie, understanding what she wanted handed the boy over.

Together, the four of them glanced at the child that connected them all indefinitely. The small blonde with chubby fingers and puffy lips had instantly made their priority lists and jumped to the number one spot.

&Clique&

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